9.5-11.0% ABV, 100 IBUs - This complex double India pale ale has an intense citrus and floral hop aroma balanced by a velvety malt body which has been augmented with lactose milk sugar. With this different take on an IPA we have brewed an ale that is both pleasing to drink and, once again, “not normal.” Cheers! June release.

A- Pours a medium gold color with a pretty big head. I had a somewhat narrow glass, but I would give it at least a 3 or 4 finger head that retains very well and laces beautifully. Body is clear.

S- Surprise, surprise; Three Floyds and tons of hops. Big, fruity hops up front with an emphasis on the citrus flavors. A hint of pineapple in the hops can be detected. The fruity flavors move towards some sweeter notes towards the end. Some pine notes are in there too from the hops.

T- Big and bitter up front like you would expect. The hops dominate the tongue and overall flavor of this beer, with a moderate to severe bitterness at the beginning. The bitterness drops off a small amount in the middle, with a shift towards a sweeter flavor. The sweetness tends to be a little on the fruity sweetness side, but also promotes a sweet, caramel malt flavor. At the end of the drink there is a slight shift back to bitter hops. Lingering flavors are hops bitterness and some more sweet malts.

M- Slick and smooth with a medium amount of carbonation. Completely hides the alcohol. Amazingly easy to drink for an IPA, let along an imperial. Hops bitterness mixed with sweetness makes it easier to drink than more bitter IPA's.

Overall, a very interesting and "not normal" IIPA. The sweetness from the lactose sugar really comes back at the end of the drink, cutting the bitterness and giving this beer a unique flavor.

A: Pours a golden yellow with a 1.5 finger head with a moderate pour. Head sticks around forever with nice lacing all the way down the glass. Excellent looking beer.

S: Smell is all hops up front. The malt backbone comes in a bit later, but you have to work to get past the intense hop aroma in this one. A huge citrus presence. Not picking up the creaminess from the lactose that others describe in the nose.

T: Hops are still big in this one, but not as dominant as I anticipated from the nose. This is where I am really picking up the lactose presence (it also contributes significantly to the mouthfeel). Light toast, lactose sweetness, and citrus hops.

M: A thicker body than your typical IPA. As mentioned above, the lactose is apparent here. Moderate carbonation. Surprised to pick up a bit of alcohol warmth from this one.

O: A solid beer, but not a great beer. I love Alpha King, Zombie Dust, Gumballhead, Dreadnaught, and Artic Panzer Wolf, but this one doesn't do it for me.

Bottle in trade from BrewMane. Pours in my tulip light orange straw colored. Big foamy head on top. Aroma is big raw hops, lemon zest, grapefruit. Flavor is like chewing on hop pellets wow. Big pine citrus and just plain hop and pineapple No sign of the ABV, and sweetness from the lactose. This is a cool beer. Very good stuff. Easy drinking but with a big slick mouthfeel. Must try for the hop head.

22 oz. bomber acquired on 6/9 from the FFF brewery counter poured into a NB snifter.

A - Pours a pale gold into the glass. A three-finger head of very dense eggshell-white foam sets up quickly and takes it sweet time slowly dissipating, leaving healthy rings of lace around the sides. Even after 10 minutes, there's still a solid covering of very tight foam across the surface. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a soft but rich orange-golden sunset and quite cloudy, with a trail of bubbles rising from the center of the bottom faintly visible. Nice legs on the glass when drinking.

S - Big floral hop notes up front, almost like smelling a fresh bag of weed. Behind those are notes of straight-on resin and grapefruit. Lightly toasted malts with hints of light caramel step up from the background. As it warms, I get the sense of hops on sweet cocoa, which is the first the lactose contributes to the nose. Warming also balances the citrus with the floral more evenly, and orange and lemon zest appear. It also really mutes the volume.

T - Very true to the nose. A smooth blanket of lightly toasted malts delivers pronounced floral hops mixed with light caramel, and the hops are quite dry and bitter. The sweetness from the lactose sneaks up after the initial punch, as does a bit of tang from the citrus hops, and suggests pineapple. The ABV is completely hidden in this beer; it don't even get a warm glow in the tummy, although by the end of the glass, the buzz is there. While the finish is dominated by the hops (and this is really where the grapefruit and orange zest is asserted), the sweetness from the lactose is never lost amongst them.

M - A bit fizzy at first, there's a foundation of milky smoothness across the tongue on the quaff that's finished with a closing crispness. It's a quite uncommon combination of sensations. Moderate carbonation provides a decently well-defined body that's tends toward the lighter side. Structure is solid, lush, and well-integrated and communicates high-quality ingredients. Finish is clean, with only faint echos of the hops along with just a touch of the lactose on the sides of the tongue.

O - This is an extremely well-crafted, luscious brew that's tweaked with the lactose for an offbeat effect, and is done so successfully because of all the bitter floral hops along with the resin that need balancing. I'm not sure malt alone could have pulled this off. It's not an obvious recipe, but I'm glad FFF tried it, because it really works. My only regret is that because it sounded so experimental, and was $10 / bomber, I only picked up one. If you get the chance, don't make the same mistake. Buy several and turn your friend onto a brewing twist that's a home run.

Sweet, candied orange peel in the aroma along with biscuit and sweet caramel. A bit of alcohol is present in the aroma on deeper inhalations. Certainly hoppy, but this beer's heft and strength may become it's downfall. To go along with all those hops are big malt additions, lots of sweetness, and a definite booze presence. That being said, what is there to expect with an 11% ABV DIPA? Even the best of the style have some warming presence.

As with the aroma, the flavor is bold, big, and sweet. Lots of hop bitterness, sweet, candied grapefruit zest, caramel sweetness, along with some toasted biscuit, and a sightly astringent alcohol character. The flavors actually come together quite nicely, but the lingering finish is what detracts overall, for me.

Medium to full bodied for the style. Thick, sweet, and slightly syrupy.

I'm glad I got to try this, but it's not a devastatingly good beer, like I was hoping it might be. Solid, sweet, big, and bold are all words I would use to describe this beer. That being said, I will hungrily devour the entire bottle and be more than happy to do the same to another.